Spilled Emotions
by iloveromance
Summary: When a rowdy fan at a Seattle Sonics basketball game gets rough with Daphne, Niles experiences a sudden courage that he never knew he had.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks once again to Kristen for giving me the idea for this story! **

"Isn't this great?"

Niles rolled his eyes at his father's unbridled enthusiasm. How one could be so excited about grown men chasing a basketball across a court was beyond him. If it weren't for the fact that it was his father's birthday gift, he wouldn't even be here right now.

The idea of being somewhere else (anywhere else) was sadly of little consolation. Niles loved his father and knew how much he was looking foreword to coming to a game.

And so, in gratitude Frasier and Niles had purchased season tickets. Needless to say, their father was ecstatic about being here, whereas Niles was not.

If all basketball games were as dreadful as this one, it was sure to be a long, cold season. However, there was one bright spot to this ordeal. His angel had graciously joined them. But unfortunately she was sitting next to Frasier, out of Niles' grasp.

Niles had tried to no avail to persuade Frasier to change seats with him but it was no use. His elder brother flatly refused, saying that it would disrupt Dad's concentration.

But Niles knew better.

Frasier was adamant about his little brother having any possible chance of getting close to the woman he loved. It simply wasn't fair.

So what if Niles was still married? Not all marriages were happy. His certainly wasn't. And speaking of marriages, was it truly considered a marriage if the couple had separated?

He didn't intend on asking Daphne on a date, although his heart beat faster just thinking about it. He merely wanted to get to know her better.

He loved her and there was no refuting that fact. He'd do anything for her, even if she only saw him as a friend.

"All right!" Martin yelled, startling Niles out of his thoughts. He was mere seconds from excusing himself when he heard Daphne's voice. And when he rose from his seat his eyes widened in horror.

"You're cute. What's your name?" A surly looking fellow was asking her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't talk to strangers." Daphne replied sweetly.

The man grinned, causing Niles to cringe at his grungy appearance.

"Well Sweetheart, if you'd tell me your name, we wouldn't be strangers anymore, now would we?"

Daphne sighed deeply.

"No... I suppose not. All right. My name's Daphne. What's yours?"

"The name's Rupert."

Always cheerful, Daphne smiled "Pleased to meet you Rupert. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to the game now."

Niles watched as Rupert extended his rough and calloused hand and then looked at his own, perfectly manicured hands. How could anyone let their skin get so disgustingly dry?

Daphne smiled and ignored Rupert, who was gulping down what had to be his third or fourth beer. Clearly the man was anything but sober.

"Whadda ya say we go somewhere and talk?"

"Um, no thank you. I think I'll sit right here and watch the game." Daphne replied.

But then Rupert grabbed her arm. "Come on doll; don't play with me like this!"

"Hey! Let go of me!" Daphne yelled, pulling her arm away.

Niles rose from his seat, prepared to inflict harm on Rupert for hurting his Daphne. But as expected, Frasier intervened, easing Niles back into his seat.

"Frasier are you crazy? Look what that man is doing to our Daphne!" Niles yelled.

"You're just going to sit there and let it happen?"

"Niles, Daphne can take care of herself." Frasier said. "She doesn't need-."

"BLOODY HELL! Now look what you've done!" Daphne yelled.

Niles could only stare in shock at the sight of his angel, her clothes drenched in Rupert's beer which he had purposely thrown on her.

"Aw, come on, it was just an accident!" Rupert said.

"Some accident! I'm soaked!" Daphne yelled. "And me new outfit is ruined! I should have known better than to speak to the likes of you!"

"Daphne calm down! It's just beer!" Martin said. "It'll wash out!"

"Bloody hell..."

"Daphne-."

But Niles' plea went unnoticed as he watched Daphne maker her way down the steep concrete stairs.

Anger boiled inside of him and he successfully fought off his brother determined to face the bully. But the grip on his arm from Martin's hand stopped him.

"Niles, don't do this! You'll only be sorry!"

Angrily Niles yanked his arm way from Martin's grip. "I have to, Dad! For Daphne's sake!"

When he was free of his father's grip and found himself face to face with Rupert, he swallowed hard. The man was much larger than he had anticipated.

"Hey! You're blocking my view!" Rupert yelled.

Niles stood in front of him, his hands on his hips. "Yeah? Well, that's just too damn bad!" He yelled back in a wobbly voice.

"Get out of my way, jackass!" Rupert yelled.

"Not until you go down there and apologize to that beautiful woman for spilling your disgusting beer on her!"

"She deserves it!" Rupert yelled. "She's a -!"

Niles' eyes grew even wider and a red hot flame burned inside of him. "How dare you call Daphne such a horrible name? Apologize! Right now!"

"Niles, knock it off!" Martin yelled. "You're interrupting the game!"

But Niles ignored his father and brother's protests and continued to glare at Rupert.

The flame inside of him grew hotter and hotter and with one move of his fist, Rupert stumbled amid gasps from the crowd. He rose unsteadily to his feet and glared at Niles.

The anger Niles saw in Rupert's eyes made his knees buckle from underneath him and he grabbed his father for support. But not before Rupert's fist moved toward Niles' face.

In a moment that seemingly unfolded in slow motion, the left side of his face was met with excruciating pain. He could feel his father and brother holding onto him and his father yelling for security.

"Niles, are you all right?" Martin asked.

Niles looked at his father through blurry eyes and his face was throbbing.

"Yes, I-I'm fine." He slurred.

"I think we should go." Frasier said. "I'm sorry about this Dad."

"Oh, it's all right." Martin replied. "There's always the next game and... whoa! Did you see that? Henderson stole the ball!"

Niles sighed as Martin sank into his chair, caught up in the excitement of the game.

"Dad, you really want to stay, don't you?"

"Niles, you stay with him and I'll go."

"No Frasier. I'll go." Niles said. "I'm the one who caused this mess. I'll just get a taxi home."

Frasier looked at Martin who was having the time of his life cheering on the Sonics.

"Dad, we can't just leave Niles here by himself. He's injured!"

"He's a big boy; he can take care of himself!" Martin snapped.

"It's all right." Niles said. "See you later, Frasier. Dad. Enjoy the game!"

As Niles turned to walk down the frighteningly steep concrete stairs, he gasped. And to his relief he felt Frasier's hand gently holding his arm.

"At least let me help you."

Niles smiled gratefully at his brother as they made their way to the foyer.

"Thanks, Frasier."

"Are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine." Niles said, feeling a bit dizzy. "I'll just... get a cab and go home."

Frasier sighed. "All right, but be careful, okay? Look, the men's room is right over there. Go wash your face and then go to the concession stand and see if they can give you some ice for that eye. Dear God, Niles. I love you, but I don't know what you were thinking-."

"I was thinking of Daphne." Niles said adamantly.

"Fine, Niles. I"ll see you later. I'd better get back to Dad."

Niles extended his hand and smiled. "Thanks, Frasier."


	2. Chapter 2

When Frasier was gone, Niles breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that he looked horrible and his face still throbbed from where Rupert had punched him, but at that moment his mind was on something else.

He staggered into the nearby gift shop, ignoring the stunned look of the sales associate.

"I-I need... a... football shirt." He slurred.

"Um... Sir, this is a basketball arena. We only have Sonics' merchandise."

"Oh fine, whatever! Just give me one!"

"Help yourself. We have plenty to choose from." The sales associate said.

Niles looked around the tiny store, amazed that so many shirts, jackets and hates could fit inside. His vision was still blurry but he finally decided on a rather large shirt in a pleasing shade of red with the green and gold Sonics logo on the front. It was far cry from what he would normally buy-and far less expensive- but desperate times called for desperate measures.

His purchase in hand, he hurried back to the foyer where he searched to no avail for any sign of his angel. He was just about to give up and call security when he saw her walking out of the women's room.

She was soaked to the skin and her hair was in complete disarray. But it was the pained look on her face that broke his heart.

Without giving it another though, he pushed his way through the sparse crowd and went to her. Gently he put his hand on her shoulder, trying not to startle her.

"Daphne?"

She whirled around to face him, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Dr Crane... What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you were all right."

"Oh... Well I was perfectly fine before I came to this bloody ball game!"

"Daphne, I'm so sorry, this is my fault. I should have never bought Dad those tickets!"

"Nonsense, Dr. Crane! Your father loved those tickets and you know it! It was that bloody bloke who insisted on coming onto to me! Oh, I knew I should have resisted him because now me new outfit is completely ruined! It'll take ten washings to get this dreadful smell out and by then the color will be all faded, and-."

She stopped speaking when she noticed his swollen jaw and black eye. And as lightly as possible she reached up and stroked his cheek.

"Oh, Dr. Crane! What happened?"

"It's nothing Daphne, I-." he sighed deeply and handed her the bag from the store.

"This is for you."

Her mouth fell open in surprise. "For me? But it's not me birthday or any-."

His heart raced as he watched her pull the shirt out of the bag.

"What on earth..."

He blushed deeply, suddenly unable to speak.

"Dr. Crane, what is this?"

"It's a Sonics t-shirt." He replied, knowing full well what she meant.

"But why-."

He let out a breath and laughed nervously. "Well, you can't very well go around in soaking wet clothes, so-."

"You did this for me?"

"Yes, but-."

She returned the shirt to the bag and kissed his cheek. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you, Dr. Crane."

"You're welcome Daphne."

"I'll be right back." She whispered.

Niles waited patiently as she disappeared into the ladies room and when she returned a few moments later, he couldn't help but smile. The shirt was much too big for her and fell almost to her knees. But she'd never looked more beautiful.

"I guess I bought the wrong size." He stammered. "I'm sorry, Daphne. I wasn't sure-."

She smiled and wrapped him a hug.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. This was so thoughtful of you. It's perfect."

When she let go, he missed the warmth of her touch.

"Daphne I-."

She gasped and touched his cheek again. "Oh, Dr. Crane! Your face! What happened?"

"I'm all right. I was just-."

"You're not all right. You look like you're in such pain! Come on."

His heart beat faster when she slipped her hand into his and led him to a surprisingly secluded area of the arena and gestured to a plastic chair. "Now just sit down and I'll be right back."

"But Daphne-."

She smiled and touched his cheek once more. "I'll be fine." And then despite his protests, she disappeared into the crowd.


	3. Chapter 3

Niles stomach tightened with fear. What if she ran into that horrible man again?

The thought was unbearable.

He was only seconds from rising from his seat to search for her when she emerged through the crowd carrying a plastic bag in her hand.

"Daphne, I-."

"Come sit." She said, taking his hand.

He did as she asked and his heart warmed when she sat down beside him. With extreme gentleness, she held the plastic bag against his swollen face and it was only when the bag touched his skin that he realized it was filled with ice. The coldness startled him and he gasped, pulling away.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered.

He was barely aware of the throbbing pain, because all he could concentrate on were her beautiful eyes and the way she was stroking his hair.

"Who did this to you?"

"T-that man... The one who was sitting beside you." He stammered.

"What? Oh sod, I knew that man was trouble! First he hits on me and then he starts in on you and your brother! Oh, Dr. Crane I'm so sorry! You were just trying to watch the game and-."

"Actually Daphne, I started it."

She eyed him curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Niles swallowed hard. "That man... how dare he treat you so rudely, scaring you and then ruining your clothes with his disgusting alcoholic beverage! I tried to stay out of it, Daphne, really I did. But when he called you a... well, I won't repeat what he said, but it was horrible! I-."

He stopped talking when he heard her sniffling. "Daphne?"

Forgetting all about his injuries, he sat down the ice pack and took her hands in his.

"What's wrong?"

"I just-I can't believe that you did all of this for me. Being thoughtful enough to buy me a shirt was one thing but you're hurt! Why would you risk getting hurt like that for me? That man was clearly twice your size and could have killed you! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about you."

"Dr Crane..."

"I couldn't bear to think of you being treated like that, Daphne. You're an angel and-."

"That's very sweet, Dr. Crane but-what did you just call me?"

His heart was pounding in his chest.

"A-an angel... because you are, Daphne. You're kind, considerate and you deserve someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved."

A tear slid down her cheek. "That's very nice of you to say but I'm afraid I've had nothing but bad luck when it comes to men. I guess I'm just not the sort of person men find attractive unless they're bloody drunk!"

When even more tears fell he reached out and tenderly brushed them away.

"That's not true, Daphne."

She gasped and looked into his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying..."

He stared at her beautiful lips, wondering if they were as soft as he imagined them to be. Despite the throbbing pain in his jaw, he moved closer until their lips touched in a gentle kiss. He was so stunned by his actions that he immediately drew back and nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"Dear God, I-."

"Dr. Crane..."

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I never meant-."

She gently caressed his cheek. "It's all right. It was nice. I liked it."

"Y-you did?"

Daphne smiled. "I liked it very much."

Before he could say anything more, she kissed him again, her lips lingering on his for a bit longer. But when she drew back he saw something in her eyes that worried him.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just... I can't believe that you did all of this for me. I don't deserve-."

"Of course you do, Daphne. You're wonderful and anyone who can't see that is a fool!"

"That's very sweet, but why-."

"Because I love you."

"What?"

"I love you."

"Oh... Dr. Crane... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

She kissed his injured cheek, taking great care not to hurt him.

"That's lovely, but what about your wife?"

The question was so soft that he barely heard it. But one word stood out;

_Wife..._

He lowered his head and sighed deeply. "I don't have a wife."

"What do you mean?"

He looked up in surprise, unaware that he had even spoken.

"Maris and I... we haven't been happy for a while now and it's just a matter of time before..."

When his eyes met Daphne's he saw compassion there unlike any other.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Well... Thank you, Daphne. That means a lot to-."

He was in her arms then, her warm embrace soothing his broken heart. She held him for a long time and then slowly drew back.

"We should probably find your father and brother. I'm sure the game is finished by now, judging by the crowds of people."

Niles smiled and kissed her hand. "You're right."

They rose from their seats and started to brave the crowds, when they found themselves face to face with Frasier and Martin.

"Where in the hell have you two been?" Martin asked. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"It was my fault, Mr. Crane." Daphne said. "Dr. Crane was just making sure that I was all right."

"Yeah? Well, maybe it should have been you looking out for him!" Martin said. "He's got one hell of a black eye!"

"Dad-."

"Niles, I told you not to pick on people who are bigger than you!" Martin warned.

"Didn't you learn anything in school? I suspect you're going to be sore for a few days, and don't expect me to take care of you!"

Daphne squeezed Niles' hand and smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Crane. I'd be glad to take care of him."

At this, Martin smiled. "Thanks, Daph. Come on. Let's get out of here. We'll be back next game and we'll win for sure! And don't worry, Daph. Security came and escorted that jackass who was hitting on you out of the arena so you don't have to worry about him anymore. "

As Niles and Daphne walked hand in hand out of the arena, she turned to him and smiled.

"So when's the next game?"

"Tomorrow night." Niles replied with a grin. "Care to join us? I mean, if it's not too foreword of me. I know we're not dating or anything, but-"

In the parking lot, she paused and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"It's a date."

**THE END**


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